Zach LaVine Scores Career-High 49 Points One Game After Benching

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls' thrilling comeback win against the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night was powered by 49 points, 13 three-pointers and a game-winner from Zach LaVine. 

While trailing the Hornets by five points in the final eight seconds, LaVine made the second of two three-pointers that pulled the Bulls ahead in a wild sequence. 

The career-high performance came just one game after LaVine was temporarily benched against the Miami Heat on Friday. With the Bulls down 13-0 early, LaVine was sent to the bench after nearly three and a half minutes for "three egregious defensive mistakes" and did not return for over five minutes. 

“Zach LaVine got 13 points scored on him, I guess. Or was it the starting five? I don’t remember,” LaVine said, according to K.C. Johnson. “I thought I was trying to do my job out there. I can’t do anything about that. I just have to control what I can control. I can’t control my minutes.”

LaVine responded in the following game by shooting 13-17 from beyond the arc, becoming just the third player in NBA history to make 13 three-pointers in a game, along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The record for most in NBA history is 14—held by Thompson.

Seven of LaVine's three-pointers came in the fourth quarter, with his final shot leading Chicago to its sixth victory of the season.

"Once I shot it, I knew it was cash," LaVine said following the career night. "That was the craziest game I’ve been a part of."